


The Way Home

by BabyChocoboAlchemist



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Being Leon's brother is proving to be quite stressful, Comfort, First Love, Friendship, Hop agonizes over the legacy he wants to create, Love, M/M, Self-Doubt, With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: “I don’t know if I can do this, mate. I don’t know if I’ve got what it takes.”Hop suffers immense blows to his self-esteem and confides in Victor. Will the brave young Pokemon Trainer restore his confidence, or will Hop's journey come to a premature end?
Relationships: Hop & Masaru | Victor, TrainShipping - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47





	The Way Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. Thank you for reading my work. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Pidove’s, Yamper’s and Growlithe’s chatter would prevent any other Trainer from catching a single wink, but to Victor, their antics aren’t any different from the lullabies his mother used to sing to him. 

Night paints the earth in azure innocence and soft hope. Stars sing above their tent as Victor prepares himself for a journey into dreamland, heart at peace while it dances to the beat of a promising future. His journey to become a Pokemon Champion began just a week ago, but it feels as though a lifetime of memories have already been carved into the earth’s veins. Already he feels alive, overflowing with the rhythm of an abundant future, one ripe with many more Pokemon encounters and Gym battles. It’s what a newborn Flying-Type must feel like, bursting out of its egg and into a brand new world. There’s so much to see and experience, even just taking flight for a few minutes creates a bank of monumental memories. Which is why every second of every memory is precious. Each one is a piece of a greater picture, a painting that captures his precious moments with Pokemon and people. Forgetting even a second of a single memory would be a tremendous waste. So Victor savors even his Pokemon’s late night antics, not at all bothered by their tireless spirits, despite the moon being high among the stars.

So he’s capturing his latest memories in a journal, a gift given to him by his mother. It’s something he always does right before bed, not wanting to lose a single moment of his grand adventure. He wonders if Hop’s safe, keeping himself out of trouble, then notices Sobble burying himself into nearby blankets. Victor chuckles as the tiny Pokemon pops his head out of a bundle of blankets. Sobble peers up at him inquisitively, worriedly, wanting to make absolutely sure his friend’s not moving an inch. The Water-Type can’t go anywhere without him, and while that probably would annoy a short-tempered Trainer, Victor finds Sobble’s attachment irresistible. The young Trainer has an incredibly soft spot for fragile souls in need of protection. Maybe it’s because he defended a tiny, sobbing Hop from bullies when they were much smaller? That must be why he chose Sobble-the Pokemon reminded him of a younger Hop, weeping while he held onto his Wooloo plushie, vowing to become Galar’s next Champion, no matter what. No matter how much the bullies taunted him.

Is Hop settling down for the night, too? Hopefully. Some things never changed with time, and Hop’s penchant for trouble was one of them. Victor sets aside his journal with a sigh, sweeps Sobble into his arms and gives the Pokemon a warm smile. “Ready for bed, are you?” the Trainer asks. The merry chirp he gets as a response prompts him to burrow into their blankets, Pokemon in his arms. “Well then,” he tells the tiny weeper, while Growlithe protects Seedot from Pidove for the twentieth time that night. No harm done-Pidove’s not trying to have the Pokemon for a late night snack. The Flying-Type Pokemon just finds Seedot charming. Seedot wishes he could blast Pidove to Kingdom Come, but agrees with the bird’s existence for the sake of friendship and mutual goals. Maybe one day, when he evolves, he’ll have his revenge. Maybe one day.

Yet another Pokemon he caught, because it reminded him of a tiny, tearful Hop. Victor has a penchant for making friends that aren’t popular with the crowd, but are reaching for the sky, hands outstretched to a bright, beautiful future. 

The others will settle down eventually. He’s still worried about Hop, but knowing his friend’s in good company, knowing his other Pokemon will settle down for bedtime soon, and knowing his mother’s perfectly safe, Victor shuts his eyes. Sobble snuggles closer, beaming, knowing all is right with the world. Only a few minutes pass before the Trainer’s phone rings, though. The familiar ringtone catches the attention of Victor’s other friends, and causes a frantic Sobble to prod him into awakening. 

Five sets of concerned, loving eyes follow Victor as he reaches into his nearby knapsack and pulls out his phone, recognizing the name on the caller id. It’s none other than-

“Hop?”

Tearful sniffs are his first response. The young Trainer’s heart begins to race faster than Yamper could ever hope to run. “Hey, mate,” is the faint response that follows, as fragile as candle light. Victor’s heart sinks-his fears come to light. Something’s definitely wrong. Taking strong, immediate note of the change in atmosphere, Growlithe, Seedot, Yamper and Pidove scurry over to Victor and an increasingly frantic Sobble. “What’s wrong?” Victor asks, the concern in his voice stronger than iron. “Are you safe? Where are you? Are your Pokemon with you?”

Sniffing is the prelude to a tearful, verbal response. “The gang’s all here, Vic. No need to worry about ‘em. And I’m okay. We’re all okay. It’s just…” Victor’s heart sinks again. Hop’s spirits are abysmally low. His voice, the tears-what’s going on? Weren’t they on an exciting journey? Wasn’t he looking forward to becoming Galar’s next Champion, just like his brother? Sure, they’ve encountered a few downs, but there’s been plenty of ups, right?

Was it Bede? Was Bede getting to him?

Hop’s next words tear into Victor like Charizard’s claws. Each one is a brutal strike peeling away at his flesh and bone, leaving behind only pain. 

“I don’t know if I can do this, mate. I don’t know if I’ve got what it takes.”

Sobble tugs on Victor’s shirt with tiny, panic-stricken cries. The eyes of his other friends are posted on him, all filled with concern and tender loving care. Victor finds himself speechless for a moment, disoriented by the pain flowing through his friend’s voice, but then somehow manages to recover it. 

“We’re talking about your dream, right? Your dream to become the next Pokemon Champion? Listen, Hop, if this is about Bede-”

There’s even more sniffing. It must last for at least ten seconds. “Maybe he’s right, Vic. Maybe I should just turn tail and go home. I can’t do this. I can’t be like Lee.”

Victor’s voice takes on a steely edge. An edge sharper than he intends to take on, but he goes with it. He has to. He turns the conversation on speakerphone, so his Pokemon can be in the know, and so he can attend to them immediately if he has to, but at the moment, the conversation continues. “That’s fine. You aren’t meant to be like Leon-you’re meant to become your own Champion!”

Hop freezes. The air freezes. Time, space and fate freeze. All eyes are on Victor, including those of the unseen world, as he continues. “Listen to me,” the Trainer urges, that edge in his voice still there. Sleep has been forgotten. “You’re going to become Galar’s next Champion, and you’re going to be the greatest Champion of all time! Trainers young and old are going to look to you as their hero, because that’s what you’ll be-their hero! _Leon’s_ going to look to you as his hero! You’re going to become a Champion everyone will be proud of, or my name isn’t Victor Estheim! So whatever you’re goin on about, quit it, because it doesn’t make any sense! You’re going to become the greatest Champion in history, and I’ll be there to see it happen!”

There’s no response for what seems like an eternity. All eyes remain on Victor as he waits for Hop to speak. But then he decides against waiting. Now’s the time for action. “You’re already the greatest Trainer I know,” he presses on, his voice a little softer, but the edge still there, born out of concern and affection. “You meet every challenge with the biggest, brightest smile on your face. You treat your Pokemon with love and respect. You’re excited by the world of Pokemon and everything it brings. Don’t downplay that light, mate. Don’t turn away from it. It’s important. Because someday, all of Galar will see that light-your light-burn brighter than every star that’s ever crept into the sky.”

There. Victor’s content with waiting this time around. Sobble tugs on his shirt even harder, whimpering. His other Pokemon, Seedot included, scurry closer to him. Pidove lands on Victor’s shoulders and peers into his eyes, worried through and through. Victor stiffens-there’s even more sniffing, more tears-gentle sniffs turn to quiet sobs-

“Hop, no, wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound harsh. I just-”

“Vic, you really know how to make a chap feel special, you know?”

Sobble’s owner gasps, face taking on a rosy hue. Hop laughs, the sound a fragile one, but a happy one, a light one, a tearful but musical one. And the adoration in his voice is galactic.

“Thank you. Thank you, luv. I really needed all of that.”

Being called ‘luv’ has Victor’s heart racing much faster than it normally would. Hop refers to close friends and even Leon as ‘luv’ whenever he’s incredibly happy, so it’s been used on Victor before, but at that point in time, on that night, in their corner of the universe, the term gives a whole new depth to the meaning of happiness, a whole new glow to life. “You’re welcome,” he replies, his voice much quieter than what he started out with, shyness taking it down a few notches.

“Now, get to bed. If you’re going to be a Champion, you’ve got to get lots of rest. And no more worrying your Pokemon.”

Chuckles follow his gently delivered orders. “Well, aren’t you a taskmaster? All right, all right, off to bed I go. You’d better get back to sleep too, mate. Sorry I woke you.”

“Never mind. Just get some sleep and stop worrying about whatever Bede said. You’re gonna be a fantastic Champion, Hop. I promise.”

Hop thanks him again, his voice no longer ripe with pain but with magic, light and warmth. Their conversation ends, all of Victor’s Pokemon peer at him in smiles, happy over the conversation ending on a very light note. Their Trainer returns his phone to his knapsack, still immensely worried but also relieved on the conversation’s end. “That’ll do it for tonight, I guess,” he tells his Pokefriends. Tails wag and wings flap in response, all of their movements energetic and merry. “Let’s hope nothing else happens.”

They all burrow into the blankets together, all of them sharing smiles and warmth, but Victor goes into dreamland with two concerns on his mind-

Helping Hop’s dreams come true, and exploring the sensations that came with being called ‘luv’ a few minutes ago.


End file.
